The Dark Side of the Light Chasers is one of those remarkable books that causes you to actually stop in your tracks and look at yourself and your life in a way you have not done in a long time – if ever. In this eminently readable book, Debbie Ford has made it possible to look inside and realize that a "warts and all" viewpoint is not only valid, but also mandatory for one to lead an authentic life. In language that is as candid as it is poignant, Ford reveals her struggles with drugs and self-hate and describes in moving detail the process through which she learned to embrace her shadow and the gifts it had to offer.

"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." This was Carl Jung’s thesis on the importance of recognizing and appreciating our shadow selves. Through personal accounts of her own experiences, as well as through revealing anecdotes of many friends and workshops she has conducted, Ford takes the Jungian model and redefines it in a way that is very personal and easy to understand and apply.

The basic premise of the book is that we each hold within us every human characteristic that exists, the capacity for every human emotion – from "the saintly and the cynical, the divine and the diabolical to the courageous and the cowardly." It is Ford’s experience and belief that we cannot totally fulfill our true potential until we identify and embrace those qualities in ourselves that we despise in others. We are taught as children, and it is especially true of women, that it is wrong to show these negative traits; that we will not be loved if we do. Ford illustrates that it is only when we cease to suppress these emotions and learn to love and respect the gifts they bring, that we can truly know and love ourselves and others with joy and compassion.

We have all had the experience of being angry or frustrated with a friend, family member, or co-worker. Ford maintains that the reason for this is that we are seeing aspects of ourselves that we have suppressed or rejected, parts of us that don’t fit the image that we have chosen to project to the world. If we are unable to reconcile these dark qualities within ourselves, Ford explains, we waste our time and energy judging others instead of empathizing. We are missing out on the important understanding that our "dark side" can be a source of enormous strength.

The book includes helpful and straightforward exercises at the end of each chapter. The exercises are some of the most valuable aspects of this book, providing practical, step-by-step tools to move out of "projection" and into authenticity. In them, Ford shows us how to not only recognize the dark side in ourselves, but also how to find the upside of the dark side.